Pumpkin carving

My design is called vampira... i decided it's bella once she becomes a vampire!

Now for the carving..

And the finished product!!

Okay so this shot isn't the best, and she does look a bit freaky, but! I like it all the same.

My favorite picture, Natalie's a dead sleepover girl, and I'm a nurse trying to hear her non-existent heart!

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Reading Lolita in Tehran... the book I've recently discovered while browsing through the non-fiction area. it's about a teacher in the Islamic Republic of Iran who every thursday gathers with 7 of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. It's interesting their view of America, sometimes positive, mostly not. But it's even more intriguing how they escape from the horrors and sadness of their life into these fiction books, stories of The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice, Daisy Miller... But I really like is so far, so here are some quotes from the book that stuck out to me.

"He is a hero because he refuses to become like all the rest."

"She was her own definition."

"Do not, under any circumstance, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we search for in fiction is not so much reality but the epiphany of truth."

"We in ancient countries have our past- we obsess over the past. They, the Americans, have a dream: they feel nostalgia about the promise of the future."

"This is how you read a novel: you inhale the experience. So start breathing."

"Empathy lies at the heart of Gatsby- the biggest sin is to be blind to others problems and pains. Not seeing them means denying their existence."

"Whoever fights monsters, should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster."

"Feel, Feel I say- feel for all you're worth, and even if it half kills you, for that is the only way to live- and the only way to honour and celebrate these admirable beings, who are our pride and inspiration." - Henry James

"Greatest freedom of man was his 'independence of thought.'"

Music!!

Probably one of my favorite parts in choir is getting new music. And for Christmas, we are getting loaded!! with music! Christmas music which is the best. So it was a grand day when we went through five new peices in chamber. So far we have 12 songs in there, but we're getting four more... and we have four in acapella. Here's my chamber songs, mostly for Heather so she can see what we're singing!
Shepherd's Pipe Carol
Rejoice and Sing Noel!
Go Tell it on the Mountain
There is no Rose of Such Virtue
The Twelve Days After Christmas
In Dulci Jubilo
Wexford Carol
Christmas Time is Here

and then these last four are ones we are singing in January with other chamber choirs and we're being directed by Craig Jessop!
Let the People Praise Thee, O God
Linden Lea
Psalm 148
Gloria

So, alot of music to tackle, but i love it.

Italy and the city of Venice

Day 13 in my tour to Europe is Venice. The city has fewer than 70,000 citizens, but is visited by more than 30,000 per summer day. It conists of 17 islands which have 150 canals between them, and some 400 bridges. It's from this city that Marco Polo journeyed to the Far East. Other famous residents included the painters Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto.

Other inspirations in the arts was Gabrieli (two of them) who introduced the idea of 'antiphonal' music in the St. Mark's Basilica. On our tour i'll be able to walk past the church where Vivaldi was baptized.

Some things they told me to learn about are...

San Marco Basilica

Bridge of Sighs (which recieved it's name in the 17th century, because the prioners who passed through it on their way to prison cells on teh other side would most likely see the beautiful sight of the lagoon and the island of S. Giorgio and freedom for the last time... definately a bridege of sighs)

Piazza San Marco

Bell Tower

Gondolas

Doges Palace

Glass Blowers

They also gave me some websites to check out.. so if your curious, here they are.

http://www.venetia.it/ (interesting history secion)

http://www.seguso.it/ (examples of handmade Venetian Glass)

http://www.doge.it/

for venice photos....

www.highrock.com/travel/Europe2001/Venice1.htm

www.tours-italy.com/venice/photos.htm (visitor info as well)

www.photo-exhibits.com/europe/italy/venice_photos/venice_color_photographs.html

Something i was searching that i thought was so cool, is The Carnival. It's one of the oldest internationall know festival celebrated in Venice. It began in the 15th century, but the tradition can be traced back to the 14th century. The Carnival starts around 2 weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday(Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The streets are full of people completely dressed out, masks of course included.

I wish i could go but it doesn't take place while we're there, plus it's so costly most locals can't afford to attend.

Ridiculous

So, sitting at the dinner table, newspaper in hand... I come across this small little article off to the side that really just is pathetic and made me laugh at the same time.

National Debt Clock runs out of digits...

New York- In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.
As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure- the "1" in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion.
The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars.
The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.


Now if this just isn't ridiculous... we are apparently expected to rack up this debt to a QUADRILLION DOLLARS!! That's pathetic. It only took us 19 years to sink 7.5 trillion dollars more into debt. How are we not making anything to help drop this number instead of it skyrocketing up. Oh that's right, we get everything from China. Good one nation. Let's put all of our dependence in other nations that want to overtake us. Very strategic. Hey but good news... gas prices have dropped around 30 cents in I think 4 weeks!! That was a definite happy day for me.

Tuesdays with Morrie

For my CNA class, we have to do 24 hours of clinical work. And all of mine are at a long term care facility. And, i really don't know why, but uhhh the old people, sometimes I'd just rather not. No offense meant please to grandparents. I love you :D but the ones i dint know, that seem crazy and need help with things I'm not sure i want to do... makes me nervous.

We watched Tuesdays with Morrie in my CNA class today and it really got to me. I've been so selfish in my thoughts, I've overlooked that they're people that have lived a glorious life. So seeing this old, frail man with all his wisdom, who yeah he couldn't walk anymore, his hands shook and it embarrassed him, he changed my sight. It's so important when working in a hospital or LTC to realize that you're working with someone who probably doesn't want your help but they know they need it. They weren't put in there for fun, and it's definitely not fun being there. So when you put your heart out there, i believe they can teach you and help you, as much as you can help them.

Now, this doesn't change the fact that I am sooo nervous! to go work an 8 hour shift in a LTC. The people there will only be thinking that I'm another nurse whose certified and is just working, when i actuality I'm just a student. Which definitely puts some pressure on my shoulders. But it'll be such a good learning experience for me.

The Fall

New Favorite Movie

Incorrectily rated

Filmed in over 28 countries

The most gorgeous cinematography i've ever seen

Most adorable little girl, with the cutest accent

Script practically written by the 5 year old

Elaborate Costumes

Crazy Imagination

Sweet mask

A movie filmed for the story, not money

"World of magic and myth"

Nobody was willing to finance.. so he sold everything but his house

Every place is real, they exist

New found talent

When put under stress, you find what you can handle. I love my cna class, but yeah it's harder. You have to put effort in if you want the grade. You must maintain an 80% or else you can't take the test to certify. In order to pass the test, you actually need to study. I know this is new, but there are a lot of classes in school where studying for the test is optional and you can still pass.

My test on Friday is according to my teacher, one of the harder ones because of all the terms and things you need to memorize. They aren't hard to understand, there's just a ton of them. Now match me up with note cards and a highlight to color coordinate! Awesome combination. Work was a little slow so i made my note cards in between customers and when finished, i studied. A lovely fat portion of this test is prefix, suffix and roots of medical terms that range from dys to cyan to algia to osis... and anywhere inbetween.

Out of 70 note cards , 53 of them are those different parts of medical words. That's a pretty intense number, at least to me it feels like. But by the end of my 4 hour shift.. bam! I had just about all of those notecards down! I realized, i can memorize pretty darn well if you give me some note cards, and of course a highlighter to color coordinate. My cna binder is the most organized thing i own probably.

Update

Well, not much is changing. I've definitely fallen into a routine. 6:20 i'm up and washing my face. First is hair, then makeup then get dressed. Now i can get breakfast, brush my teeth and am out the door by 7:20. School's routine sets in and i follow the session. Yesterday in chamber, 2 out of the 4 soprano 2's were gone! So that was an interesting rehearsal....especially since the only other soprano 2 there really can't sight read music... she's always been a S1 so this is a new experience for her. Not the melody anymore! Acapella is...well acapella. Huge, slow moving and rarely satisfying. Kathryn and i after that get a lovely hour break before heading down to our CNA class, which i absolutely adore. It doesn't feel like 3 hours of one class..

B-days aren't as fun but still have their ups. Seminary can be spiritual as long as you aren't about to fall asleep on the desk... i was having a morning where i just couldn't wake up even though i slept a good almost 8 hours. Health Science Advanced was a little bizarre as normal. I now expect to see videos every class of a schizophrenic, hypochondriac or someone with tourettes. Pretty healthy for your subconscious huh.. Well i move onto mythology english which is interesting in itself.. along with the crazy people i have in there...aka a lovely handful of emo's that have been warning our student teacher from BYU to run and hide from our class. Not to good. And then i finish up the day with Chemistry.. oh that's a hard class to have after lunch. I'm dozing off but i know i don't understand any of it, so i have to stay awake... it's a tuff battle i fight every day in chemistry.

Amazing Neighbors

So, my mp3 player broke a couple weeks before school started. And i'm very low and tight on money right now. There was no way possible for me to buy anything new for a long time. Well talking with my neighbors who are always trying to help me :D. I told them about my choir trip to Europe..."Oh! come watch our kids! We'll give you jobs to do!" They're just awesome like that. So they hear my delima, well i want an ipod nano so bad! But there's a really cool new zen out there too that's cheaper. And me being a cheap person decides, sure go for the zen. So my neighbors let me watch their dog over the weekend while they're in oregan. $15 bucks a day, 5 days. lovely sum for watching a dog. They get back today and i'm over there talking to them... and Aaron turns to me, "okay, you can either have cash, or what's in the bag... so a hundred dollar bill or the bag.." And i'm like...uhh! i dont know!!! And aaron says back.. "The hundred or the bag! And the bag is worth more then the hundred..." hahah So i take the bag and inside is a fabulous pink ipod nano!! I was like, what!! Extremely surprised! They are just so awesome and way too kind. But yes that was my lovely story about my overly thoughtful neighbors who are just amazing. :D Thanks!!